You Lead, I'll Follow
by Evil Queen of the Demon Pandas
Summary: Tidus vanished at the end of FFX...but what if Yuna went with him? Tidus jumps, but Yuna decides she's not going to stand by and watch him go. Sort of a Tidus's Zanarkand and What Yuna Found There type thing. Sorry I'm really bad at summaries.
1. Falling

Yuna watched in numb horror as Tidus ran to the edge of airship and flung himself into the pastel fog below. –_Well, now, that just ain't gonna fly_,–a voice in her head said firmly. It was the blunt, obvious voice inside her that she usually ignored, but for once she agreed with it. Already a yawning abyss had opened in her heart, screaming and threatening to wrap her in a blanket of agony.

Suddenly, something inside her clicked. She didn't even realise what she was doing, really. One minute she was standing in front of her guardians, staring out to the clouds as sorrow began to eat at her insides, and the next her feet were moving of their own accord, carrying her half-unwilling body to the edge of the airship. She didn't even have time to scream as she jumped.

She clutched her summoner's staff to her as if it were a lifeline as she fell through the golden clouds. She heard her friends' shouts, but they died away quickly. She wasn't really listening to them, anyway. Before her eyes, her father, Auron, and Jecht materialised in the strange light. If she squinted, she could make out Tidus in front of her. As she passed Braska, he just stared at her, watching his daughter with wide eyes. Auron laughed a little, and Jecht just gaped. She smiled and closed her eyes as the darkness swallowed her.

She woke up to see feet rushing past her. After a moment of general bewilderment, she realized she was curled up on a street somewhere. She sat up, confused. The staff she still clutched in her right hand was cold and glittered dully. She scrambled to her feet and looked around. _Nothing _looked familiar. –_Okay, the Farplane's done some serious redecorating,–_she thought. She spotted a building with a glowing neon sign in front and walked over to it, out of lack of anything else to do more than anything. She stepped inside and discovered it was a tavern, packed with drinking, laughing people. She pushed through the crowd to the bar, her head already aching with the noise and stress. She scrambled onto one of the stools and sat there silently, watching the people with wide eyes and wondering what the hell she was going to do next.

"Do I know you?" a familiar voice asked.

She spun around to see Auron standing there, peering at her over his glasses. "Oh, praise Yevon!" she exclaimed. He stared at her. "You don't know who I am, do you? That's okay. But, just tell me this: where are we?" she asked him.

"Zanarkand. You _do_ look familiar. What's your name?" He sat down next to her and ordered a drink.

"Yuna. I'm Braska's daugh–wait, did you say _Zanarkand_!" She stared at him, her mind frantically rejecting the information it had just received.

He let out a harsh bark of a laugh. "Braska's daughter, eh? How'd you end up here?"

She bit her lip and hesitated. He watched her over his glasses, absently folding and unfolding the corner of a napkin under his hand. Just as on the airship, when her feet had moved without conscious decision, she found herself gushing out the details of her pilgrimage, and Tidus, and the fight against Jecht, and Yu Yevon, and jumping off the airship, and everything short of her entire life story. She'd never talked so much in her life, but words just flowed out of her mouth as she talked to her former guardian. Auron just sat and nodded occasionally. He asked a few questions, but mostly just listened, a probing, understanding look on his scarred face.

When she finally stopped, feeling rather drained from so much talking, he said, "Come with me." Brusquely, he stood, throwing a few coins onto the counter. He led her out into the street and to a house. She hurried after him, clutching her summoner's staff anxiously. Now that the adrenaline rush had faded, she was beginning to wonder what exactly she'd done.

After a few minutes of wandering through crowded alleys, Auron stopped dead in front of a small house. A few steps led to a completely unremarkable door, just beginning to be dampened by the gentle rain that was starting to fall.

He turned to her, his piercing eyes staring at her through his glasses. She looked back stubbornly, ignoring the shy feeling his gaze incited. "Now, if find anyone you know here, they won't know you. At all. So be prepared. And don't tell anyone about your past," he warned.

She nodded, perplexed. Though she said nothing, silently she wondered where the sudden caution had come from. With another of those disconcerting glances at her, he opened the door and stepped inside. She followed and saw a blond boy sprawled out on the couch, deeply involved in a blitzball game displayed on a square sphere screen. It wasn't Tidus, but they had to have been related.

A girl walked in, carrying two glasses. "Oh! Hi," she said, surprised.

The boy looked up. "Hey, Auron. Who's the girl?" he asked. His voice was, perhaps, a few tones deeper than Tidus's, and there was something underneath it, something that spoke of loss and pain and a joyous finding after so much searching. It was familiar–Yuna had often found her own voice to take on the same strange feel, when she thought of her father.

"This is Yuna. I…found her," Auron said. The boy raised one eyebrow, as if he were going to make a comment, but said nothing. After a moment, he turned back to the sphere screen. Another girl stomped in the room, her green eyes blazing.

"C'mon, Eidoriana," a voice begged, and its owner walked in behind her. Yuna nearly fell over, her mind reeling with shock. There he was, just as solid and amazing as ever. She wanted to run to him and hug him and let him hold her for the rest of forever, but she held herself back, her stunned mind clinging tightly to what Auron said about people she knew not knowing who she was.

Tidus looked at her. "Who're you?" he asked.

"I'm Yuna," she told him softly. He stared at her for a moment, then turned back to the girl.

"I want _pink_!" the girl shouted, stomping her foot like a child. The first girl rolled her eyes and handed one of the glasses to the boy on the couch.

"Yuna, this is Lenne, Shuyin, Eidoriana, and…Tidus," Auron told her.

She nodded, surveying each of them with eyes that were both wondering and scared. Lenne looked a lot like Yuna herself, but her brown hair was longer, flowing almost down to her butt, and she had big, warm brown eyes, instead of Yuna's mismatched blue and green ones. Shuyin, Yuna assumed, had to be related to Tidus, because the two looked almost exactly alike. Shuyin was a bit taller, and his face was rounder, but other than that the two could have been twins. Eidoriana was short and slender, and her black hair was pinned up and dotted with several brightly-coloured barrettes.

Her sharp green eyes narrowed as she looked Yuna up and down. She put her hands on her hips. "Who're _you_?" she demanded rudely.

–_I just told you, you idiot,–_the voice in Yuna's head snapped. But out loud, she repeated politely, "I'm Yuna." Eidoriana rolled her eyes and turned back to Tidus.

"I refuse to have an entirely pink wedding!" he told her.

"I want pink, and that's final!" she exclaimed, marching off into the kitchen.

Tidus rolled his eyes and sighed. "Why? Why did I agree to marry her?" he moaned, sitting down on the couch beside his brother.

"Honestly, I don't know," Shuyin said, not taking his attention away from the T.V.

"Because you love her," Lenne said simply. "Supposedly," she added under her breath.

Yuna stood by, silent and shell-shocked. She couldn't breathe, her mind shrieking under the barrage of new, strange information. Married? Tidus was getting _married_? How could he be? He belonged to _her_. He was her amazing blitzer, her star of the Zanarakand Abes. He was everything she knew she needed–so why was he getting married to another woman?

Numb and unable to think of anything else to do, Yuna walked down the stairs and sat down on the couch next to Lenne, who seemed to be the nicest of the bunch. Lenne smiled at her. "So, where are you from?" she asked.

Yuna's mind raced. "Bevelle. But I got kicked out because…I didn't agree with them," she said, thinking fast. She vaguely remembered something about a machina war between Zanarkand and Bevelle, and if she'd been pushed back in time–which was the only explanation she could come up with–the story would fit.

Lenne nodded. "Understandable. So, do you have anywhere to stay?" Yuna shook her head. "You can stay with us then. We'll go shopping tomorrow," Lenne said firmly.

"I wanna go," Tidus said suddenly, snapping his head up from where it had been buried in his hands.

Lenne laughed. "Ai-ya! She must be bad if you're volunteering to spend all day shopping." Tidus nodded fervently.

Shuyin rolled his eyes. "Just break the engagement," he told the younger boy, tearing his eyes momentarily from the blitzball game.

"I can't. Have you _seen_ her father? He'd kill me!" he exclaimed.

Lenne sighed and looked at Yuna. "Let's leave the boys to their complaining," she said, standing up. Yuna followed suit and stood there nervously, glancing from Tidus to Lenne and back again. Lenne smiled and took Yuna's hand. "C'mon. I'll show you where you'll sleep," she said kindly. Yuna nodded and let Lenne lead her down a hall and into a room.

"You can sleep in here with me. I've got an extra bed, and we can put your stuff in the closet," she said. Yuna nodded and sat down on the bed, her muscles tight and weary with shock and anxiety.

Lenne sat down next to her. "So, what do you think of us?" she asked lightly, her big brown eyes cheerful and sparkling.

Yuna hesitated.

"It's okay." Lenne laughed, correctly interpreting Yuna's uncomfortable silence.

"Eidoriana. She's just…" Yuna tried to find a word to describe what she felt about her boyfriend's fiancé.

Lenne nodded and sighed. "I know what you mean. Tidus fell in love with her about a month ago, and the wedding's in three days. We keep telling him he's moving too fast but he won't listen. He complains about her, but we can't tell if he's still in love and just had nothing to do but bitch or if he doesn't love her anymore and he's complaining because he's genuinely miserable," she said.

Yuna nodded. _–Well, I'm pushing for _not_, because, uh, hello! _I'm_ supposed to be that girl. Me! _Me!_ Not some annoying twit!_–the voice cried.

"Well, here's some pajamas, and if you need me I'll be in the kitchen," Lenne said, getting up. Yuna nodded and the older girl walked out. For a moment, all was quiet. Yuna slipped her feet out of her boots and pulled her legs up to her chest, hugging her knees tightly. She closed her eyes against the room, against the house, against everything. How she longed to be curled up in Wakka and Lulu's hut back in Besaid, next to Tidus, a warm breeze toying with her hair that bore the scents of twilight and his arm around her shoulders to keep away the chilly night…

"Mind if I come in?"

Yuna's eyes flew open. Tidus was standing in the doorway, a half-grin on his face. She smiled and nodded, stretching out her legs and sliding her feet back into her boots.

"Hi. You're Tidus, right?" she said as he shut the door behind him and leaned against it.

He nodded. "That's me. I guess you think I'm an idiot for marrying her, huh?" He let his head fall back to the door and closed his eyes, letting out a long, deep sigh.

Yuna shrugged. "If it's what you really want…"

He opened his eyes and turned those beautiful turquoise eyes on her. "That's the problem," he said softly. Instantly, all Yuna's instincts were screaming, "_Get up! Go after him! Hug him, hold him, never let him go! He said it. He said he doesn't know! Go now!_" But she stayed put, and smiled fixedly.

He grinned and sat down on the bed opposite her. "But you're probably not real interested in my marital issues. So, you're from Bevelle, huh?" he asked.

She nodded. This was a rare bit of truth in her story; she'd lived in Bevelle until she was seven, then she'd moved to Besaid after her father defeated Sin.

He locked his hands behind his head and leaned back. "You seem familiar. Have I seen you before?" he wondered.

She shook her head. "I don't think so," she replied.

He shrugged. "I dunno." He stared at her for a minute more.

Yuna couldn't stand it any longer. "You know, I don't think she really loves you," she blurted.

He just blinked, then sighed. "_I_ don't even know anymore. At first, she wasn't like this. Then when I proposed, she just turned into…_that_," he said.

She nodded, and the voice in her mind was shouting,–_Hah! See? Seeseesee? She doesn't love him! I do! _I do!_ Why can't he see that?– _After another long, silent minute, he stood up and walked to the doorway. She stood up, too, and he paused. He turned around and looked at her, his eyes darkened by a worry she'd seen only a few times in the time she'd known him. Something compelled her to walk over to him and smile. Acting on pure instinct and the wild, passionate feeling that gripped her, she kissed him gently and shut the door. Her heart pounding with love and fear, she sat on the bed and tucked her feet under her.

As was to be expected, Eidoriana burst in. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded. Yuna stared at her in mock surprise. "You just kissed _my_ fiancée. I don't believe you!" Eidoriana shouted.

For the first time in her life, anger filled Yuna to the brim. For all of her life, she'd had an incredibly even temper. She absorbed insults and angry words like a sponge. But she'd finally had it. Tidus was _hers_, and she wasn't about to let some half-brained twerp take him from her. For Yevon's sakes, she'd jumped off an airship for him! A silly thing like an engagement wasn't going to keep her down. She was a High Summoner, wasn't she? She'd saved a planet. She deserved her boyfriend!

"You listen to me. I am _not_ in the mood to explain every inch of my life to you, and I have no desire to do so. So you just _back off_ and leave me alone. Got it?" Yuna told her in a low voice. Eidoriana gaped at her.

Then it began.

She took a deep breath and Yuna stared, wondering what in Yevon's name was coming next.

"TIDUS!" the black-haired girl screamed.

Tidus rushed in, his turquoise eyes wide with panic. "What?" he asked, staring at the two girls.

"She hit me!" Eidoriana exclaimed, pointing at Yuna. She ran to her fiancée and he wrapped her in his arms. Yuna wanted to break down and cry. Her head ached and her hands trembled terribly. She managed to keep her emotions under control, but just barely. Eidoriana smiled cruelly at her from her position against Tidus's chest. Yuna wanted nothing more than to throw that girl off a cliff and tell Tidus everything, make him love her again.

Lenne trotted in. "Everyone okay?" she asked, alarmed.

Eidoriana sniffed. "She hit me," she whimpered. Tidus stroked her hair and shushed her gently.

Lenne looked at Yuna, then at Eidoriana. "Well, you're not bleeding. You'll survive," she said briskly. Tidus led Eidoriana away and Lenne shut the door. "What happened?" she asked softly.

Yuna sniffed. "Nothing. I accidentally bumped into her, and I suppose I hurt her more than I thought," she lied quietly, staring at the deep blue carpet

Lenne snorted. "Right. Eidi's played that card with me at least twice, and I know for a fact that it takes a hell of a lot more than a bump on the arm to hurt her. What _really_ happened?" She reached out and touched Yuna's shoulder gently, worry in her big brown eyes.

The concerned gesture undid Yuna completely, and she burst into tears. The older girl walked over and hugged her, letting Yuna cry into her shoulder. Eventually the tears stopped and Yuna sat down on the bed. "Now, you wanna tell me what's wrong?" Lenne asked gently.

Yuna bit her lip. "I-I can't tell you. I-I'm not supposed to." Yuna sniffed, clenching her hands to stop the shaking. She watched as her knuckles slowly shifted from peach, to white, and into a pale purple, not even realizing that she was still clenching her fists.

"I promise I won't tell a soul," Lenne assured her, reaching over to unclench Yuna's hands.

So Yuna told her story, about Tidus and the airship and falling and landing in Zanarkand. Lenne just sat and stared with big eyes. "So-so you're saying that when that thing–Sin–attacks, Tidus gets dumped in your world," she said. Yuna nodded. "And you fell in love with him," she said. Yuna nodded again. "So this must be really hard for you, huh? Seeing him with another girl, after all you two went through?" Lenne asked gently. Yuna nodded again and sniffed. "Well, we'll just have to get rid of her, won't we?" Lenne smiled slyly. Yuna stared at her. "Let Operation Bye-bye Eidi begin," Lenne said darkly. The two grinned, and both lay down to sleep.


	2. Commence Operation

The next morning, Yuna began to see exactly what went on behind those big brown eyes. Lenne wasted no time in laying down the foundation.

As they stood in their room before heading to dinner, Lenne beckoned Yuna over to the big metal dresser, a secretive glint in her eyes. She took a silver necklace out of a jewelled box and whispered, "This is a necklace Shuyin gave me. It was their mom's, before she died. They would have a heart attack if it got stolen." She grinned and dangled the necklace in front of Yuna. It was pretty, with a silver chain and heart-shaped locket. A deep blue stone was set in the center, and written on the back was in flowing script was the phrase: Always follow your heart.

Yuna watched as Lenne silently crept into Eidoriana's room and tucked the necklace in a box. After a moment, she snuck back into their room, barely containing giggles of delight. "It's so pretty, Eidoriana won't be able to resist wearing it. And when she does, I'll cry thief. Then we sit back and watch the fireworks," she said with a cunning grin.

It wasn't until that night when they were all sitting on the couch (minus Auron. He'd gone out for a drink again) when Yuna spotted the necklace glinting silver in the overhead light. Lenne had told her what to do earlier, so she pointed at the necklace and said politely, "That's really pretty, Eidoriana."

Lenne looked at the necklace and gasped. "That's _mine_!" she exclaimed, the expression on her face the perfect combination of anger and disbelief. Yuna silently applauded Lenne's acting abilities. She was able to make her feelings obvious, without being overly dramatic.

Eidoriana stared at her. "What? No, it's not!" she protested, laying her hand protectively over the locket.

Lenne nodded, her eyes slowly filling up with tears. "You stole it!" she cried.

"I did not!" Eidoriana objected.

"I can't believe you!" Lenne ran out of the room, trying to stifle sobs of horror. Shuyin followed her, calling her name worriedly.

Tidus was staring at Eidoriana disbelievingly. "I can't believe it," he said incredulously.

"I didn't take it! You have to believe me!" Eidoriana cried. He just shook his head slowly and went to check on Lenne. Yuna was left sitting with Eidoriana. She stood up to dart after Lenne, uncomfortable in the thick tension in the room.

"I know you did this. I'll get you, Luna," Eidoriana hissed.

"It's Yuna. And I'll do whatever I have to to get him," Yuna retorted calmly, her anger overriding her embarrassment.

"He's mine, and he'll _stay_ mine. Obviously, you don't watch enough television," Eidoriana snapped.

Yuna just raised one eyebrow, not bothering to dignify that with a response. Eidoriana stared at her, green eyes filling up with tears. Suddenly, she threw herself onto the couch and Yuna shot up so as not to be pinned beneath the girl. She left Eidoriana sitting on the couch crying and found Lenne sitting on the bed, sobbing inconsolably into Shuyin's shoulder. Tidus was leaning against the doorway, glaring darkly.

"Are you okay?" Yuna asked sympathetically.

Lenne sniffed and smiled weakly. "Yeah," she said quietly.

"Are you sure? I know how much that meant to you," Shuyin said, blatantly more concerned about Lenne than anyone else.

"I'll be okay," she assured her fiancé. "I think I just need a moment alone. I just can't believe she'd do that!" She let out another half-stifled sob, and Yuna barely hid an appreciative grin.

He nodded and walked out, dragging his brother along with him.

Yuna shut the door and grinned at Lenne. "You're good," she said. Lenne grinned back and pretended to blush modestly. Yuna sat down on the bed next to her and sighed. "What next?" she asked.

"That's my girl." Lenne slung one arm over Yuna's shoulder and started to explain their next step.

The next morning, Yuna woke up before the sunrise and drifted outside. She found Tidus outside bouncing a blitzball on his foot. "Hey," she said softly.

He spun. "Hey. I didn't know anyone else was up," he said, surprised.

"I usually get up early," she explained. He nodded and caught the blitzball. She sat down on the step and watched the machina Lenne had said were called "cars" speed by, on their way to somewhere. Tidus sat next to her, and she resisted the urge to lean her head on his shoulder. He looked at her.

"You know, you seem familiar to me," he said.

She nodded. "You, too," she replied, her heart beginning to race frantically.

"I thought so. It's kinda like I knew you a long time ago, but now I've forgotten," he explained.

She nodded again. "I get what you mean," she said softly. –_Only in my case, I know you from a different reality in the future. Sort of_,–the voice said. He put one arm around her shoulders, a faraway look in his eyes as if he didn't even realize he was doing it. She barely managed to suppress a smile.

"You know, I've been having the strangest dreams since you got here. Really weird stuff, like I was a thousand years in the future, and you were a summoner, and we were travelling with these other people to defeat this thing called Sin. And I had this really big secret, but I couldn't tell you. And we were in love." He looked at her, and she wanted so badly to tell him that it _wasn't_ a dream, that they really _were_ in love, and that _she_ was the one he was supposed to marry, not Eidoriana. But instead she just smiled understandingly and let him talk. He started describing his blitzball team, and how great they were doing. They watched the sun rise over the great machina city, seeming to set the enormous buildings on fire.

Lenne opened the door and stuck her head out. "C'mon, you two. Breakfast," she said. They stood up, and as Yuna walked in, Lenne gave her an encouraging grin. Yuna blushed and followed Tidus inside. They all sat at the table and ate bowls of cereal, chatting lightly about the game that night. Eidoriana sat in stony silence, glaring at Lenne and Yuna and sitting as close to Tidus as she could without sitting _on_ him. Yuna just regarded her with mild interest.

"I can't believe our wedding's tomorrow!" Eidoriana exclaimed to Tidus. He nodded and smiled, but Yuna could tell something was wrong. It was the same smile he'd given her when she asked him if he was going away, just before they defeated Sin.

A small part of her was infinitely satisfied, while another part was exclaiming shrilly, "_Tomorrow? Oh, God, we're never going to pull this off!_"

Lenne glanced at her, instantly detecting the subtle change in Yuna. "Don't worry," she murmured.

Yuna nodded and stood up. "I'm gonna walk to the stadium. Anyone want to come?" she asked on impulse.

"Can't. I've got stuff to do before the wedding," Lenne said with a secretive smile.

"I'll go with you. Maybe I can get a game started," Tidus said, getting to his feet.

Eidoriana grabbed his hand and held it in a vice-like grip. "No!" she exclaimed. He looked at her, annoyed and startled. "I mean, you can't leave me here alone." she stammered.

"Lenne will be here, and so will Shuyin. You'll be fine," he assured her, gently prying her fingers away from his. He followed Yuna outside and they headed toward the stadium dome. "So, you know anything about blitzball?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. A lot of the guys I know play," she answered.

He grinned. "Excellent. Eidoriana doesn't know anything about it, and refuses to listen to me," he said. They walked past through the few people on the streets, talking about blitzball and wandering in the general direction of the stadium. Someone bumped into Yuna's shoulder and she glanced at the man.

"Sorry," she said, smiling a little.

"That's quite all right, milady," the man replied in a strange accent. His grey eyes smiled at her, and his green-and-cream hat trembled as if it were threatening to fall off as he bowed a little. He turned and continued walking away.

Yuna stared after him. Something was familiar about that man, but she couldn't put her finger on _what_. It darted just out of sight of her thoughts, letting her see only a few glances of it. "Who's that?" she asked Tidus, pointing in the man's direction.

"That? Oh, that's Maechen. He's a little loose in the head, if you know what I mean. Always says stuff like, 'The dream and the real merged into one' and 'What _are_ the fayth thinking?' and the stuff like that," the blond boy explained, shrugging.

Yuna nodded slowly, that familiar feeling still lurking. Then, like a thief caught in a flashlight beam, it came fully into view. "Maechen!" she cried, suddenly darting after the man.

"What–_Yuna_!" Tidus exclaimed, running after her. Yuna ran after the scholar, who was not quite so old anymore, but still the same man she knew. She grabbed his shoulder and he stopped, turning to look at her with a surprised expression.

"Do you require something?" he asked, his voice still slow and rich with the strange accent.

"Maechen…you're Maechen…I know you…"Yuna gasped, out of breath from her chase.

"Hmmm?" The scholar watched her with a calm interest, waiting for her to regain her bearings.

"You're from Spira, aren't you? You…I should have known. You know about them all…you know about the fayth, don't you?" She flung her questions at him, and he chuckled a little.

"You, too, were born in Spira, were you not? You are not native to this world, are you, child?" he asked. She shook her head as Tidus finally caught up with them. The rush of people had increased since they'd left the house, and the crowd pushed by the three as if they were merely lampposts.

"What's…going on? Yuna…what…was that…for?" Tidus gulped oxygen into his lungs between words, trying to replace the air he'd lost.

"This is Maechen! I know him…he's from where I'm from!" Yuna babbled. She knew she wasn't making a lick of sense, but she was too excited to care. She turned back to Maechen. "Tidus said you always talk about the dream and the real merging. Does that mean that this place isn't real?" she asked.

Maechen sighed and looked around. "Come. This is not the place for such discussion," he told her in a low voice. He spun with a speed she would not have attributed to him and melted into the crowd.


	3. Nothin' But The Truth

"Come on!" Yuna grabbed Tidus's hand and dragged him behind her as she desperately tried to keep her eyes on Maechen. She managed to follow the man to an apartment much like Tidus's, and stood behind him as he unlocked the door.

He gestured inside. "After you, milady," he said humbly.

She and Tidus stepped into the apartment and she barely suppressed a gasp. The living room was one giant library. Thick, wine-red carpet covered the floor, in place of the shiny wood in the other. Dark wooden bookshelves covered the walls, and the only open space was a chair that sat in one corner, next to a table where a stack of books rested. Books were _everywhere_, stacked on the chairs and little amount of countertop in the small kitchen, piled on top of and packed into the shelves, in towers knee-high all over the floor. A slender path was cut through the sea of books into the hallway, but other than that none of the rich carpeting could be seen. "Excuse the mess, but I need more space to put my books in. Until then, you'll just have to navigate your way around them, I'm afraid," Maechen said, stepping inside and shutting the door behind him.

Yuna shook her head. "It's okay." Silently, she was in awe of all the books contained in such a small apartment. She'd always had a soft spot for books, and to see so many in one place nearly bowled her over. Maechen led the way through the books to the small wooden table in the kitchen.

They all sat down and Maechen looked directly at Yuna. "Now. I suppose you'd like an explanation," he said. She nodded wordlessly. He sighed and closed his eyes. "I should start in the beginning, I expect. Yes, that would be easiest." As Yuna leaned in a little, and even Tidus watched the man with interest, Maechen began his tale.

"I was born in the Zanarkand of Lenne and Shuyin; your world, Lady Yuna," Yuna nodded once. Tidus just retained a confused look. "And I have lived there for a thousand years. You see, in your world, your Spira, I am an unsent, Lady Yuna." Yuna's eyebrows shot up and Maechen smiled. "I expected such a reaction. But you must understand: I knew that your young friend here was not what he seemed the first time I spoke to him, a few months ago. You were on your pilgrimage, I believe. I knew he was from…an otherworld, you could say. So I made it my purpose to speak to the fayth. I knew they had something to do with it all; I could feel their presence every time I spoke with him. It took me many a long, tiring month, and several boring discussions with boring Yevon priests," Yuna chuckled a little. The boring part, at least, was true, "but eventually I was allowed into the Chamber of the Fayth. For the first time in my long, long life, I saw the famous Chamber. I was amazed. Then a child–no, a _being_ is more the term–appeared, and for a moment he just watched me.

Then the being began to speak. 'You are here about our dreams,' he said.

I did not understand. 'Your dreams?' I pressed.

'Yes. The young man you met, the one whom you question: he is our dream,' he said.

I was confused, so I pressed for more answers. 'How is he here?' I asked.

'His father brought him here,' the being said.

'Could you take me to his world?' I asked. I was very curious about this young man's 'dream world', and I wished very much to explore it.

'No. It was destroyed,' the being informed me, quite bluntly. I was very disappointed, you understand, and my disappointment must have somehow affected the being.

'I can take you to another world, however. A inter-mixing of our world and yours,' he offered. I instantly accepted. Anything to see this place! He told me to go to the Chamber of the Fayth in Besaid after Sin was defeated, and he would take me there. So after I saw your triumphant defeat of our deadliest enemy–and, might I say, Lady Yuna, it was quite spectacular!–, I walked into the Chamber while the priests were occupied with their celebrating. The being met me, and he sent me here. I have been here for almost two years now, and I've yet to figure out what the fayth are thinking. They seem to have somehow combined their memories of the past with their own dreams to create a world like none seen before." By the end of his tale, Maechen's eyes were aglow with fascination.

Yuna knew he was truly amazed by what the fayth had done, and his wonder pleased him greatly. Then she frowned. "But, Maechen, I only defeated Sin a short while ago–not five minutes before I came here two days ago," she said.

Maechen stared at her. "Really? Time must move differently here." Again his eyes shone, and Yuna could almost see the wheels in his mind turning at warp speed.

"Anybody care to explain what's going on here?" Tidus exploded.

Yuna stared at him in surprise for a moment, then nodded. "See, I'm from Spira–his world. So are Lenne and Shuyin. But you, you're…uh…well…" She glanced at Maechen, silently begging for assistance.

"You are a dream of the fayth," he said simply.

–_Couldya _be_ a bit more blunt, dude?–_the voice in Yuna's mind snapped.

Tidus's eyes widened and he stared at the scholar. "But I…I…" he stammered.

Yuna smiled at him and reached for his hand. "Remember how you told me about the dreams you've been having since I got here?" she asked gently. Tidus gulped and nodded. "Those are _real_. You're not meant to marry Eidoriana. It's you and I that are destined to be together, not you and Eidoriana. I've been wanting to tell you ever since I got here."

Tidus stared at her, and for a moment she was afraid he would hate her for it. Then he grinned. "I knew there was something about you! I _do_ love you, I remember now!" he cried, leaping to his feet.

She, too, stood, smiling. "I love you, too!" she said, her eyes filling with tears. She flung herself into his waiting arms and buried her head against his chest. His warm, strong arms held her close, and she smiled. Suddenly, she heard the door bang open and she spun, startled.

"_What the hell do you think you're doing_!" Eidoriana shrieked. Yuna opened her mouth to tell the girl off, but Tidus beat her to it.

"Did you _follow_ me? You're so insecure you had to follow me?" he snapped.

His fiancé crossed her arms over her skinny chest and glared. "Yeah. I followed you. I don't trust her, and right now I don't trust you very much either!" she exclaimed shrilly.

"Good. You know what? I don't care if you trust me. I don't even really give a damn if you like me or not. You're an immature, selfish, spoiled, annoying brat, and I can't believe I wasted five weeks of my life with you," he said firmly, his arm around Yuna's shoulders.

Yuna resisted the strong urge to stick her tongue out. She contented herself with a smirk, snuggling closer to Tidus as if to prove, once and for all, that he was hers, and that was simply the end of that.

Eidoriana just sort of gaped for a minute, becoming steadily redder in the face. "How…_dare_…you," she growled finally, breathing hard through her nose and clenching her hands into fists.

"Well, it went sort of like this: I saved the world, I'm entitled to the guy. Obviously you don't watch enough television." Yuna couldn't help but sneak in _one_ good insult.

Before any of them could move, Eidoriana's hand flashed for her belt. A heartbeat later a dagger was flying through the air, aimed directly at Yuna. All she could do was watch as the glittering blade buried itself to the hilt in her chest. Dark, warm blood began spilling from the wound that didn't hurt, and she grabbed for Tidus's hand to keep her standing. She barely heard his shouts, barely felt his arm under her shoulders to keep her from falling.

"Don't worry. Believe," she whispered, as darkness began encroaching on her vision. Slowly, the fuzzy black took over, and the last thing she saw was Tidus staring into her face, crystal tears falling from eyes like sunlit oceans.


	4. Was It A Dream…?

Slowly, Yuna became aware of a heavy, drifting feeling in her limbs. As consciousness returned to her, she had the sensation of falling. But it wasn't the real kind of falling, the kind where you know you're going to hit the ground in a matter of seconds and it's going to hurt. No, this was the dream kind of falling, the one where you _think_ you _might_ hit the ground, and it _might_ hurt, but you're not really sure, and you won't _be_ sure until you actually get there. Which seems to take forever, unless you actually do fall and you find yourself awake, in a pile beside your bed, all tangled up in the sheets with your cat looking at you like you're absolutely insane.

This continued for so long, she began to think she might fall asleep. But she soon realised she wasn't awake, so sleeping wasn't an option. Then, of course, she considered waking up. But she wasn't properly asleep, so waking up wasn't an option, either. She was starting to get very frustrated when she suddenly became aware of several people shouting her name.

"I'm up, I'm up," she mumbled, and she was surprised to find her lips actually move.

"Yunie! Are you okay?" Her shoulder was moving. Rikku. Those were Rikku's nails digging into her skin. Only her cousin had fingernails that deadly.

"I'm fine. Where's Tidus?" She opened her eyes as she asked the one question she was most afraid of.

"I'm right here."

She twisted around, nearly giving herself whiplash in the process. "You came back!" she shrieked, scrambling to her feet. She threw her arms around him, hugging him tighter than she ever had.

He chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound. He held her close, his warm arms wrapped around her slender body. "Of course I did. You think I'd leave you to face those crowds alone?"

She looked up into his face, her eyes shining with love. She didn't reply; she just beamed.

"I'll never leave you alone," he said quietly, kissing her.

She smiled and rested her head on his chest, relaxing against the only strength she'd ever need. No matter what came next, no matter how cold the world became, they would face it together. Like twin pillars in a hurricane, they would stand strong. Nothing would keep them apart…not wind, not rain, not death.


End file.
